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From "Memoirs relative to the State of India: by Warren
Hastings Esq." A new Edition with additions London
Murray Fleet Street 1777.
Another defect in the present constitution of the Board of
Trade consists in the number of its members. Four members
have been thought sufficient by the legislature of Great Britain,
for the general government of India; and the Company
have thought fit to continue the original number of
members in the Board of Trade, which is no less than eleven.
For what purpose is there so great a difference? It will
never be alledged, that the objects of deliberation of the latter
are more important or numerous than those of the former. It
will perhaps then be said, that they have a greater detail
of executive transactions. This is not true; and if it were
admitted, I would require no other grounds for reducing the
number; for I affirm, and every man who has been conversant
in the practice of Boards must be sensible, that the detail of
minute executive transactions is more correctly and expeditiously
conducted by a few, or even a single man, than by many.
The Company's investment was never, I believe, or any time better managed
than in the year 1773, when it was left to the sole superintendancy
of Mr Aldersey.
Possibly it will be observed, that although the board
of trade consists of eleven, yet there is never that number
assembled at the Presidency, it being an established rule, that
four of the commercial chiefships shall shall be filled by the members
in rotation. This I also I affirm to be one of the defects of
this constitution. The change of the subordinate stations should
never be given to purposes possessed of a right to vote at the Board;
for under such circumstances, their merits will seldom be impartially
scanned; either their faults will be overlooked, or if party
disputes should unhappily prevail, their exertions will be disturbed
and checked by unnecessary cavils.
In these observations which I have made on the defects
of the present system, I do not allude to any particular instances.
I speak only of the general principles, which must always invariably
produce the same consequences. I shall now offer a few remarks
on the general subject of the Company's commerce in Bengal.
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[[info_in_main_headings_field::Collectanea - Board Management […?] […?] Hastings]] |
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From "Memoirs relative to the state of India: by Warren Hastings Esq" / A new Edition with additions, London, Murray, Fleet Street, 1777 |
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JOHN DICKINSON & C<…> 1809 |
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A. Levy |
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1809 |
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